Reading Time: < 1 minute Results are in for the 2015 Canola Performance Trials. Data from the science-based, third-party variety evaluations have been uploaded to the online comparison tool at canolaperformancetrials.ca. A summary booklet is also available for download at the site. The online tool includes interactive maps and the ability to refine searches by season zone, herbicide-tolerance system, yield, […] Read more
Canola trial results now online
Online tool offers data by zone, herbicide-tolerance system, yield, maturity, lodging and height
Ten is the magic number for canola
Reading Time: 3 minutes In a year like 2015, the little things add up. “If we get lots of moisture early in the spring, you can just about broadcast your canola and it will grow,” Dan Orchard said at the Farming Smarter conference earlier this month. “But when years are tough, that’s when a lot of these little things […] Read more
Cinderella story: Canola crushes yield expectations despite rocky start
Whatever the reason for the surprisingly good yields, growers urged to stick to recommended practices this spring
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year was a head-scratcher for canola growers across the Prairies. “For a lot of our producers, it was a drought year, with a bumper crop and a wet harvest — those things shouldn’t go together,” said Keith Gabert, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada. This year looked like it would be a wreck […] Read more
It was a year like no other for canola crops
Reading Time: < 1 minute It was a year when breaking the rules paid off for canola producers. Seeding deep and seeding late frequently produced better results than seeding early and shallow, which is rarely the case. And reseeding paid off, too. “There were a lot of things that worked this year that I hope you don’t do next year,” […] Read more
The clubroot onslaught continues — but there is some hopeful news
Alberta fields are seeing massive numbers of clubroot spores, but new research has found a 90 per cent drop-off after a two-year break
Reading Time: 3 minutes Clubroot’s march through Alberta is relentless and the level of infestation here is 100 times — or even 1,000 times — worse than in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. But there is a bit of good news: Moving to a three-year rotation is more effective than previously believed, says a Canola Council of Canada agronomist. “New work […] Read more
New canola variety a milestone in the battle against clubroot
Double resistance a big step forward, but clubroot strains are quickly multiplying
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new canola variety resistant to multiple strains of clubroot will hit the market in time for spring seeding. But the new variety from Crop Production Services will only be available in limited quantities and a clubroot expert says growers can’t expect it to be “a saviour.” CPS Canada says the variety, Proven Seed PV […] Read more
Poisonous weed found in Alberta canola fields
Devil’s trumpet is highly poisonous, but poses little risk when processed into canola meal or oil
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s still more questions than answers after a highly toxic prohibited weed was found in canola fields in three counties in north-central Alberta. Devil’s trumpet — also called jimsonweed — has been confirmed in Barrhead, Leduc, and Westlock counties, but how it got there and how widespread the problem is remains a mystery. “It would […] Read more
Start small when straight cutting canola for the first time
Reading Time: < 1 minute This year’s thin canola crop may force some producers to take their chances with straight cutting. “Typically we recommend a well-knit, even crop — something that the wind won’t shake, rattle, and roll — so that we prevent shattering and loss,” said Keith Gabert, Canola Council of Canada agronomist. “This year will be a little […] Read more
Crack open some pods before swathing canola this year, says agronomist
The ideal time to swath canola is when 60 per cent of seeds have changed colour — but 30 per cent is more realistic for large acreages
Reading Time: 3 minutes Keith Gabert is already dreading phone calls about swath timing in canola. “It’s going to be a hard job to figure out where your canola crop is going to be at for swathing, especially on some of those thin stands,” said the Canola Council of Canada agronomist at the Making the Grade workshop in late […] Read more
Measuring harvest loss the first step to managing it
Save big bucks by measuring harvest waste, calculating the loss, and adjusting harvest management practices accordingly
Reading Time: 3 minutes In a drought year like this one, when every bushel counts, the last thing a producer wants to do is to leave grain on the ground. But harvest loss — to the tune of up to five bushels an acre — is a costly problem for growers across the Prairies. And more often than not, […] Read more
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